Apparently hotels can’t build suites fast enough to keep up with the demand. I guess the Russian mafia is still solvent and rock stars will always need enough room to house their entire entourage as well as the model(s) du jour in the manner to which they have become accustomed. Those of us who do not travel in those circles must resort to obtaining our suites the hard way: via upgrades and freebees. That’s because the only acceptable way to enjoy a suite is not to pay for it. Courtesy of my many years as a road (or actually air) warrior, I have managed to score several suites along the way. For those of you who have not, there may be some comfort in knowing that sometimes it is better to just have a plain old hotel room.
Many of my accommodation upgrades have been a perk resulting from filling a number of hotel rooms as part of an event. One of these was in a boutique hotel fashioned from a reclaimed warehouse in downtown Seattle near Pike’s market. My suite took up the entire 5th floor. It had 20 foot ceilings, exposed pipes, concrete floors painted to look like marble, and a free-standing fireplace that was about 10 feet across. My private elevator opened right into the entryway, which consisted of a sitting area, the first of 4 bathrooms, and a mini-library. To get to the two bedrooms, you had to go through the formal living room and den, traverse the hallway that went towards the exercise room and spa, and take a left at the sun terrace. Good thing there were lots of places to sit down along the way. I spent exactly 7 hours in the room, not even long enough to see if the room service delivery would get cold on the way from the front entry to the dining area (or maybe they would have actually cooked it to order in the restaurant-calibre kitchen).
One of the times I managed to score an on-the-spot suite upgrade was at a conference in Florida. This was fantastic as I was actually staying for three nights. It was rather modest by suite standards, with only one bedroom and a combined living/dining area. It was also built around a big atrium with pools, restaurants, and gardens, which meant the window in the bedroom looked out into the public walkways. Maybe that’s why the suite was available: it wasn’t very paparazzi-proof. Anyhow, it was nice to have a bit of room to spread out, at least until the next morning when I contracted a severe case of stomach flu that confined me to the bathroom for the remaining two days. All I can say is sometimes the best thing about a suite is the size of the comfort amenities.
Another thing you should know is that accommodations in older hotels may not be quite what you had in mind when you envisioned a suite. In Las Vegas, they tear down hotels and build new ones every few years just because the decor has gotten out of date and the existing penthouse rooms are less than 10,000 square feet. This is not true in New York. The Waldorf Astoria is one example. You will be pleased to know that most of the plumbing was ‘upgraded’ in the 1930’s, but even in a suite you need to step outside of the room to change your mind. No need to worry about wayward photographers though. The biggest security feature is the view of the brick wall of the airshaft next door. But anyhow, if you are in New York, what are you doing hanging around in your room?